Drowning
by Kylelover101
Summary: That's not water Ponyboy is loosing himself in. I own nothing, warnings inside.


**This is another one shot For The Outsiders, I own nothing from The Outsiders, please enjoy the story :) **

**-Kylelover101**

* * *

**Title: Drowning **

**Summary: That wasn't water Ponyboy was drowning in.**

**Rating: T, for Language**

* * *

_He sat up quickly, at least, faster than his brain could conjure as to what was going on. __He was chocking. __He couldn't breathe. __Bob's hands were still on the collars of his shirt, no matter how hard he tried to kick him away, he wasn't succeeding. _

_"WANNA' BATH, GREASER? HOW ABOUT A NICE COLD ONE?!"_

"Ponyboy! Ponyboy, wake up!"

Ponyboy couldn't hear Sodapop. More or less feel him. He was going deeper and deeper into the icy cold water. The sunlight was demolishing as the darkness of the cool blue His arms and legs were paralyzed in an upward position as he fell slowly, floating to his death.

Soda had managed to calm Ponyboy down, but the Greaser fell right back to sleep.

He held Ponyboy in his arms, stroking his hair, whispering sweet nothings to him. Darry sighed, gently. He sat at the edge of the bed, facing the blank wall.

"This is getting worse." He mumbled, as the clock ticked thirty-minutes past two in the morning.

Soda turned to Darry. "What do we do?"

". . . . We're taking him to a doctor.

* * *

Four white walls, one had certificates and trophies Ponyboy didn't care to read what for.

An uncomfortable leather couch that curled at the top. A shelf with books, Ponyboy was told not to touch.

Most of all, an annoying woman. Pin curled locks that draped to her chin, a white dress suit and ugly penny loafers. Ponyboy wouldn't have minded the room if it wasn't for her inhabiting the space. Her name was Mrs. Sour. Pronounced: 'Sore'

"Well, Mr. Curtis. Your brother tells me you have very active dreams at night. Must be an adventure if it has you here. Would you like to tell me about these dreams?" Her voice was sweet, but her questions taunting.

"Your definition of Adventure, is completely different from mine." He mumbled, thank god there was a clock. Only one hour to go.

"What do you consider an Adventure, Ponyboy?" She smiled, jotting down whatever on her notebook, Ponyboy didn't care.

"A quest. A challenge. Something other than a nightmare." He mumbled that last part, but she picked it up.

Mrs. Sour looked up. "Nightmare? Did you have a nightmare, Ponyboy?"

How many times has that been asked to him? He rolled his eyes, thinking of better things he could be doing right now, drawing a picture, reading a book, mourning over Johnny and Dally or his parents. He could be at the movies, he could be at home doing nothing. Anything sounded better than being here.

He looked at the clock, five minutes had passed.

"Yeah," He finally sighed.

"Do you remember what it was? Was it a monster?"

A monster? How old did she think he was? He was too old to believe in monsters. . . .or so he thought.

"No." He scoffed. "There's no such things as monsters." Liar, he was such a liar.

"Well? What was your dream about, Ponyboy?" She asked once more. He shifted his position on the couch from looking at the clock to the celing.

"I don't remember my nightmares. All I remember is being scared. Sometimes I can't wake up from them. That's why Soda sleeps with me. We share a room because of it."

"Sodapop is your second oldest brother, right?" She confirmed. He nodded. "Alright, and how does he calm you down?"

Ponyboy narrowed his eyes. "I dunno' like I said, I don't wake up from them sometimes."

"Well, how do you stop having a nightmare then?" She sounded irritated.

"I don't know. It just happens." Ponyboy sighed, he was sick of her poking her blue-pointed pen into his life. She nodded, humming as she wrote something down, furiously.

"What did you write?" Ponyboy asked.

"Nothing that concerns you, Ponyboy-"

"The fuck it doesn't!" Ponyboy didn't know where that outburst came from but he didn't care. Mrs. Sour sighed, setting down her clipboard.

"Ponyboy, I want the truth. Does Darrel Curtis hit you?"

Ponyboy's eyes widened. "Where did this come from?"

"Well, does he?"

"No! He's never hit me. And if he did it would be an accident!" Such a liar he was. Ponyboy could recall one time, the night he ran away with Johnny. But no way was he telling this lady. This nut-job that might twist the story even if he told her everything.

"You can trust me, Ponyboy. He's not in here." She was gentle, soft and fake.

"Lady, if my brother was hitting me don't you think I'd run away or call the cops? I'm not a wimp and I'm not the one to take that from anybody." Ponyboy sat up, growling. "Why would my brother even take me to this dull room to talk to you if he didn't care about me?"

"You're sure Darry doesn't hit you." She asked once more.

"YES! HE DOESN'T HIT ME!" Ponyboy snapped. He looked at the clock on the wall. Only three minutes?! He couldn't take much more of this. He groans, taking the pillow he had his head on to cover his face and scream. Mrs. Sour was surprised. She hadn't the clue as to what was happening to her patient.

"Pony? What's wrong?"

Slowly he removed the pillow, his face slightly pink from screaming. "I . . . don't want. . . to be here."

"And why?"

"Because I hate drowning!"

The room was quiet. Ponyboy's face was pale with fear at his outburst. stood up slowly, reaching out to Ponyboy to stroke his hair.

"What do you mean, drowning?"

Ponyboy grit his teeth, standing up to walk away. "I don't need this, rot in hell, Lady!"

"Ponyboy! Don't walk out, we're not done here. I want to find out who's harming you. You're lying about your brother, aren't you? He hits and abuses you, right?!"

He turned and gave her the most evil stare he's ever given anyone. "Don't you ever say that again."

He slammed the door, making Darry look up from paperwork and pulled Soda from dreamland.

"Ponyboy?" Soda asked.

"Ponyboy, what-" Darry stood up, he was about to continue but the tears in Pony's eyes told him otherwise.

"You know," Darry scratched the back of his head. "It was a long night, I think maybe a movie at home and some blankets will cure you both."

Soda yawned to that.

* * *

_From the abyss of his liquid prison, he noticed he was still floating down. There was no light anymore, so he must be really deep. _

_He's not the only one floating. To his horror Dallas is right next to him on the right and Johnny to his left. Their bodies were floating upward, like dead ones usually do. _

_He was sinking, deeper and deeper. _

_He cried for help, but only bubbles came from his mouth. _

* * *

"Ssh, ssh, ssh. You're okay. You're fine. It's alright." Continuously muttered from the mouth of Sodapop Curtis, but it wasn't working.

The poor boy was sobbing and shaking into his chest.

Soda couldn't take this anymore.

* * *

"So why should I help the kid?" A mutter came from behind the dodge they were working on at the DX. Soda sighed, rubbing his eyes, yawning.

"Because I can't figure out what to do, Stevie. I've done all I can." Soda sighed, sadly. Steve poked his head out from under the car. Sighing. He hated the kid, ever since he first met him when he was a little pip-squeak of four-years-old. Always following Sodapop, never leaving the two of them alone. Sure Soda didn't mind, but he did.

"Please, Steve. I need this, please." Soda practically begged.

Steve sighed, standing up to wipe off his hands. "Even if I did want to do it, what would make the kid trust me, Soda. He hates my guts."

Soda sighed. "We don't tell him."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Soda, if you and Darry have done all you can do for Ponyboy, what makes you think I'll be any better?"

Soda looked up at Steve with hollow eyes "Cause you had the same problem."

Steve's eyes turned soft and he sighed, putting up two hands as if he were caught by the cops. "Fine. But if that kid is screwed I'm telling ya and then I don't want anything else to do with him."

Soda smiled sleepily, putting his head down for just a moment, not noticing his boss coming in to check on him and Steve.

_"Wake up, Curtis!"_

* * *

Steve Randle's life wasn't particularly a good one, but it wasn't bad either. It turned out to be just a bunch of bullshit after another. If it weren't for the gang (he could deal without Ponyboy) he would have gone insane.

Steve's father was more responsible than his mother, the drunk-bitch, but that doesn't mean he takes too kindly to Steve.

Steve's dad was like a mean Darry. A mean Darry that was always working and when you did see him all he did was yell at you, because you forgot to do the dishes or take out the trash or you're flunking math. Steve liked to think his parents were a happy couple like what the pictures told him. But life has a funny way of screwing people over.

Thankfully he was at work, leaving Steve to think of what to do with Ponyboy.

He didn't know why he was even helping the kid.

_"Cause you had the same problem."_

Steve wasn't sure if Soda knew what was going on. Was Ponyboy just depressed, angry. . . or was he drowning too?

Steve groaned, sitting up to put on a new shirt, tossing off his greasy DX one.

"Let's get this over with." He sighed.

* * *

"Go away." Ponyboy mumbled, not even looking at Steve.

Steve's anger was rising the more defiant Ponyboy became.

"I said. . . .get your ass in the truck, I'm being nice and taking you out for Ice Cream!" Steve growled, pointing outside.

"I don't want to get ice-cream with you." Ponyboy mumbled.

"I do, I do!" Steve groaned seeing Two-Bit already in the truck, honking the horn.

"I'll buy you whatever you want, if you just get your ass in the damn truck!" Steve yelled.

Ponyboy turned to arch his eyebrow. Since when did Steve just invite him for ice-cream? He figured he had nothing to worry about since Two-Bit was there.

"I want chocolate, and vanilla; I want strawberry!" Two-Bit continued to list every item on the menu, confusing the girl at the cash register.

"Oh, but take out the chocolate in the chocolate ice cream, because I'm allergic." He smiled, slapping down the change on the table.

The girl just stared, dumbfounded.

Ponyboy looked at the menu.

"Well, hurry up!" Steve growled.

"I'm picky when it comes to ice-cream. And you invited me, so just wait." Ponyboy went back to the menu and Steve's impatience was starting to come out on his tapping foot. Ponyboy had better hurry up with concurring his order. If the kid had a nightmare problem-

What better way to save yourself than to indulge yourself?

Granted those aren't the steps Steve took to cure his own dark history, but at least Ponyboy wasn't moping.

"Steve, why did you invite me?" Ponyboy lowered his voice.

"Cause Soda wasn't off yet. So I was stuck with you." Steve narrowed his eyes.

"Right, but Two-Bit's here." He nodded to the greaser licking his lips at the huge bowl that was brought to him with every flavor of ice cream. Spoon in one hand, straw in the other.

"Why didn't you invite him and leave me at home?"

"Cause-" Steve Stampeded. "Cause I didn't feel like it, now shut up and order!"

"And you're paying for me, " Ponyboy added. "If I don't call that fishy, then I don't know what to call it."

"You know what? You've got a mouth of you. I'm doing you a favor-"

"How so?"

"-And you're just being ungrateful!" Steve felt his anger go into his fist and he fought the urge to smack the kid. Steve took a deep breath and ordered himself something.

While Two-Bit dealt with a massive brain-freeze, Ponyboy kept staring at Steve, who tried his best to ignore Pony. Ponyboy only became more and more confused with Steve's behavior when Steve took him to the movies, the arcade, then finally the library. He was pretty much wasting his whole pay-check on Ponyboy.

"Steve?" Ponyboy asked after Steve took the arm full of books and tossed them in the car (earning Ponyboy a glare)

"What?" He muttered.

"What are you doing?" Ponyboy asked. "This is weird."

Whether is was the summer heat, or Ponyboy asking the same question over and over again, Steve suddenly snapped.

"You know what? Forget this. I'm done being nice to you-"

Ponyboy frowned. "No one asked you to be nice to me!" Pony started walking home, yanking the books he borrowed out of Steve's car. Steve had his hands shoved into his pockets, not bothering to help Pony carry the stack of books in his arms. They had lost Two-Bit in the library when he began hitting on a younger librarian.

"Where are you going?!" Steve called.

"None of your business!" Pony snapped, walking away. Steve groaned, hopping into the vehicle. If Ponyboy wanted to be alone then that was his own issue. Steve decided he's done all he could, now that was all left to do was tell Soda he couldn't help Ponyboy and he'd never have to be bothered with the kid ever again.

He heard rumbles of thunder and looked back to where Ponyboy had walked. The greaser was out of sight.

"Ugh! It's always me!" Steve groaned, starting up the vehicle to look for Ponyboy, his brothers would kill him if they found out he let Pony walk home in the rain.

Ponyboy looked up at the sky in curiosity, when he saw the dark grey skies he knew it was going to start raining soon. He quickened his pace home, deciding on the short cut through town. On his way home, he'd have to pass through the community pool. Two workers who were working on the pool fence had left, leaving a mess carelessly behind. Ponyboy walked along the side of the pool, when a big gush of wind hit him, it knocked a book into the water.

"Oh, No!" He cried, reaching out to grab the book. He almost had it when a clasp of thunder startled him, sending him falling into the water.

"Kid!" Steve called out. "Where the hell are ya'?"

Steve jogged around, clutching his jacket as he muttered curses looking for Ponyboy in yards, inside little shops or gas stations. He even looked in a sewer drainage, praying the kid wasn't swept away in one. Meanwhile Ponyboy tried to swim upwards from the deep end of the pool. He kicked his legs as hard as he could and tried to push away any amount of water, but whatever he tried, failed him.

Pretty soon his eyes grew heavy and there was a light feeling in his chest as he vaguely saw bubbles erupt from his mouth. Horrific flashbacks of his dreams came whirl-pooling back to him and all he could think of was how ironic the scene was. Maybe he was meant to die like this, first it was Bob drowning him in the fountain, now it was his own clumsy self falling into the pool. Ponyboy saw the light from above become darker as he fell deeper. His arms floated upwards one last time, half expecting someone to save him.

A strong pair of hands pulled him out of the water.

Steve's teeth chattered as he took a deep breath, reaching the surface of the pool, pulling Ponyboy out. He gently placed Pony on the cement, trying to find a heartbeat.

"Aw, damn." He muttered. "Why me?"

He put Ponyboy's face in an upright position as he conjured a mouth-to-mouth CPR. Finally, Ponyboy had coughed up some water and was breathing once again. Ponyboy shivered as Steve draped his jacket around Ponyboy. It had stopped raining and some sun-spots leaked out of the clouds, still the air was cold and Ponyboy sneezed.

"Are you alright, Ponyboy?" Steve asked. "Oh, your books." Ponyboy looked over seeing all the books ruined in the rain and two were in the pool. His bottom lip quivered and the Greaser softly cried. Steve bit his bottom lip, unsure of what to do at the moment.

"Look. . . Kid, don't be upset. They're just books."

Ponyboy nodded, swallowing half of his pride of crying in front of Steve and falling into a pool and nearly dying. They sat in silence before Steve helped Ponyboy to his feet.

"Sure you're alright, kid?" Steve asked once more.

Ponyboy looked at the water,then at Steve, nodding. Steve nodded back and the two walked back to Steve's car. It was a silent car ride before Steve pulled over, confusing Ponyboy.

"Look, Pony. Soda asked me to watch you today." Steve admitted. "Said something about your nightmares or something like that." He muttered.

Ponyboy frowned, "They're just dreams."

Steve looked unsure. "Are they?"

Ponyboy didn't respond, so Steve continued. "Deep dark secret, Kid. I used to have nightmares like you." Ponyboy was shocked. He had no idea that Steve had nightmares, well, he was sure Steve had a bad dream every once in a while, everyone had those, but nightmares like him where he thrashed around and bawled his eyes out like him?

"They happened right after my mom left my Dad and me. My dad was a heavy drinker and sleeper, so he never heard me. I told Soda about them. He was the only one who understood, ya know?" He smirked. "I told him how these dreams. . . .I just. . .felt like I was drowning, ya' know?"

Ponyboy bit his lip, nodding.

"Sometimes, they still haunt me, kid. Not gonna' lie. They feel so real too, that's the scary part. But look kid, we've all got things that scare us and we handle them differently. Two-bit, when he's scared, he's cracking jokes. Darry yells because apparently that's all he knows." Steve grumbled. Pony chuckled. "And Soda, Sodapop picks up extra shifts as a security almost. Bring home more bacon cause that means there's less chance of him loosin' ya'." Steve smirked.

Ponyboy looked at his feet. "Steve, what do you do when you're scared?" He asked.

Steve rolled his eyes, "Kid, you've know me for how long? Since when have I ever cried?"

"I never asked that."

There was a stunned silence before Steve muttered something along the lines of: "know-it-all-smart-ass-kid." and cranked the radio before driving off. Of course in the corner of his eyes he saw Ponyboy smiling, glancing out his window to watch the neighborhood fly by. Steve shook his head, smirking.

When they arrived home, Darry wasn't in the best of moods. "Ponyboy! Steve! Where have you been?" He demanded to know, standing straight up from the chair, Soda laid three feet away, snoring through Darry's gruff voice. Darry took another look at Ponyboy.

"Why are you soaking wet? Steve, what happened? He's soaked to the bone!" Darry barked, taking off Steve's wet jacket.

"Oh, no 'Thank you Steve for being Ponyboy home'. 'Thank you Steve for watching him'. Unappreciative ares-holes live here, that's what!" Steve grumbled, stomping to the door. Before he left though, a squeak spoke up.

"Thanks for saving me, Steve." Ponyboy beamed.

Sodapop peaked from under the pillow watching his best buddy. Of course he wasn't asleep, his Ponyboy wasn't in his nice warm bed, but Darry instated he'd catch some sleep since he was caught sleeping again at work. So some sleuthing did the trick for the blonde greaser.

Steve looked back at Ponyboy (who was being towel dried by Darry) the Greaser finally looked normal, not the hollow, grieving, pale child that looked like he had nothing to live for. Steve clenched his teeth, giving a soft nod before leaving.

"What was that about?" Darry asked. Ponyboy just smiled, "Nothing. M'not drowning anymore."

Soda smirked, closing his eyes to try and catch some sleep. Outside the Curtis' home Steve started up his vehicle, ready to head home before a patch of sunlight peaked through the clouds, hitting his windshield. He sighed, remembering the ten-year-old boy who stood at the edge of his drive way watching his mother walk away with some other guy to his new car while his father laid on the couch drinking. While his mother drove off, she obviously ignored the fact that poor Steve tried to run after her, wanting to be with her while tears traced his face.

He shook his head.

"Com'on, what's that retarded poem again? The kid says it all the damn time!" Steve pounded his steering wheel.

"Nothing Gold Can Stay!" A voice replied.

Steve looked around him, trying to figure out who said that before seeing Two-bit laying in a puddle. Steve cocked an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked. Two-bit shrugged, petting a fish next to him,that was flopping around. "Well, if you didn't remember me, I was with you and Ponyboy flirtin' trying to catch some nookie when you bums ran off on me. Tried to find ya'll, but I got swept in some sewer."

Steve plugged his nose, smelling the Greaser. "Yeah, I can _smell._"

"Anyway, I'm here, I got dinner." He held up the fish. "Let's head over to my place, shall we?"

Steve smiled, opening his passenger door open for two-bit. One Two-bit got close enough, Steve drove off a few feet.

"Hey!" Two-bit called. Steve chuckled and once Two-bit got close, he did it again. "Dummy thinks I'm letting his stinky-ass, along with his fish friend in my car." He told himself.

Mean old Steve continued this torture to poor Two-bit down the road, all the while admiring the sunset.

No one would be drowning anymore.

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**Please leave a review.**

**-Kylelover101.**


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